1. Field
Aspects of the invention relate to an allergen barrier and more particularly to a breathable waterproof fabric formed to resist allergen transmission.
2. Related Art
Many fabrics and sewn products have been touted as a solution for protection against allergens. However, such fabrics provide inadequate breathability and resistance to water penetration. In this regard, fabrics that do act as waterproof allergen barriers have poor breathability whereas fabrics with good breathability typically do not exhibit adequate resistance to water penetration or allergen resistance to allergen transmission. Breathable fabrics are typically formed with pores on the order of 10 microns. However, current literature and belief suggest that such a pore size would be ineffective at blocking many allergens, including dust mite feces, which are typically less than 3 microns. Further, such a large pore size does not provide suitable resistance to water penetration.
Another challenge with existing fabrics is the ability for the fabric to withstand sufficient tensile stress experienced with repeated use and laundering cycles.
To date, there is no product that has successfully united effective waterproofness with breathability and resistance to allergen transfer.